23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't put it down, June 15, 2007
I was lucky enough to pick this up just days after I'd read Glass Houses and had cooled off from facing the unwelcome cliffhanger that topped off what was otherwise a terrific book. As the other reviewers say, this picks up moments later and the action is non-stop until the end -- where we get another cliffhanger, though not QUITE as traumatic. I mean, this one you have to think about for the full scope of the potential trauma to set in.
The characters are getting more dimensional and interesting and the worldbuilding shows how intricate it is, hiding so many mysteries that we want to investigate. I don't usually like vampire novels, but this series has lots of original ideas in it -- and its characters carry them to even higher levels. The cliffhangers are frustrating, but I'm currently writing a series that has its own set so I guess I should welcome this as setting a precedent. Be assured that the basic plot of the book is complete within it; you won't be dissatisfied.
You'll also get some really good scares. Have fun reading it! (And Rachel Caine: WRITE FASTER!!!)
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 stars. Leaves a lot of threads dangling., May 21, 2007
Claire Danvers is a genius. She thinks studying and learning are fun. Since she is only sixteen, her parents will not allow her to attend college far away. They want to be able to drive up anytime they believe Claire needs them. Therefore, Claire attends Texas Prairie University (TPU). Due to problems with the previous dorm's popular girl, Monica Morrell, trying to kill her, Claire lives off campus at Glass House with three other house mates.
Claire is only now getting used to knowing that vampires rule the town and the local humans are pledged to certain vampires as life-long servants and blood donors. Anyone without a bracelet showing that he has Protection is nothing more than meat if he roams the streets after dark. It is a little more tolerable, thanks to her roommates. Eve has become Claire's best friend. Shane has become Claire's boyfriend. David is still strange, even though Claire now understands why David is never seen during the day. No, David is not a vampire, but that would be a blessing compared to what he is now.
Now a fraternity is throwing its annual Dead Girls' Dance. Amazingly, Claire and Eve have been invited. They have no idea WHY they were issued the invitation though. Since Claire is so young, she would have declined, except that Shane's father, along with a gang of bikers, are on a vendetta to kill all vampires. If humans get in the way, that's just too bad.
***** This book picks up EXACTLY where the first left off. If you have not read book one (Glass Houses), then you will find yourself lost a few times. Thankfully, this time the story does not end in the middle of something horrible, like a murder. It does, however, leave many threads dangling. I am still confused on when Claire's two days dead line got extended by her parents. Did the author forget about it? Loop hole? Who knows? Hopefully, the dead line will be explained in the third novel (Midnight Alley), due for release October 2007. Teens and Young Adults will not be the only ones to be enthralled by this series. If you like vampires, this is for you! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paranormal "teen" romance? This series needs a broader market, May 12, 2007
I won't summarize. But I would like to say that I am 34 and a big Rachel Caine fan. I believe nothing has been lost in Caine's style or depth of plot development by building a world around a smart teenage girl who happens to live a Texas town controlled by vampires. While the author sticks with most rules of vamp lore (rising at night, age brings control of the thirst, changing a human into vampire is a willful act), she develops a heirarchy and political system that seems to coexist with its environment. Of course, the novel would lose its thrill a minute tension if the co-existance was peaceful. I like the themes that Ms Caine builds into the fabric of the plot- veiled,but not indecipherable. For example, she challenges the notion of survival of the fittest. In Morganville, vamps are at the top of the food chain, but custom dictates they operate as benefactors to the townspeople- they hunt only people (students) they don't know. There are codes and systems and protection that is offered. And of course, there is always a chance to gain audience with the queen if you are brave and clever enough to recognize and hold onto a trump card. There is a timely message about power and the perspective of the underdog- one we don't often hear regarding our foreign policy. Perhaps the teen label is based on the fact that there is very little sexual content, which is not to say there isn't sexual tension. MAN. Rachel Caine does not dumb "it" down for a teen audience- she is true to her voice. You have to admire that.
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